Kentucky GOP Strips Dem Governor of Senate Appointment Powers Amid McConnell Speculation

On Friday, a super-majority of Republican lawmakers in Kentucky overrode Democrat Governor Andy Beshear's veto of a law that strips the state's executive of any authority to appoint future U.S. Senate vacancies. The new law's supporters claimed it was unrelated to recent concerns about the health of Republican Mitch McConnell, the state's 82-year-old senator and minority leader of the U.S. Senate. With the Senate narrowly divided on partisan lines, the procedure for filling a vacancy has become increasingly crucial.

In 2021, Kentucky's GOP lawmakers curtailed the governor's independent authority to appoint a successor. Now, they have completely excluded the governor from any role in filling such vacancies. Under the new law, the state would hold a special election, and the winner would then serve the remainder of the unexpired term.

During a brief debate, Republican House Majority Floor Leader Steven Rudy said,

The people should decide who a United States senator is by election always.

In his veto message, Governor Beshear wrote,

Prior to these maneuvers, the same system had been in place since 1942. This administration deserves the same authority as previous administrations.

The state's change in the Senate succession process comes during a season of change for McConnell, who in February announced that he will step down from his longtime Senate leadership position after the November election, concluding his leadership term. He didn't specify a reason for his decision other than to point to the recent death of his wife’s youngest sister as a moment that prompted introspection.

McConnell's announcement came after two incidents where he appeared to "freeze" and looked disoriented during press briefings.

In July, McConnell experienced a pause during a news conference on Capitol Hill, going silent for 19 seconds before stepping away from the cameras. Quickly resuming the news conference, McConnell told reporters, "I'm fine."

In August McConnell had a similar health episode, looking blank-faced and unresponsive for about 30 seconds during a press conference after being asked about his plans for re-election. His term as leader expires in January 2025, while his term as a senator runs through January 2027. The video clip concludes with a staffer requesting reporters to "please speak up" after the uncomfortable silence.

The U.S. Capitol's attending physician attributed the potential causation of the freezing episodes to being related to recovery from a concussion after McConnell fell in March of last year and also speculated that it could have been caused by dehydration. McConnell was medically cleared to resume his leadership activities.

During a recent radio interview on WHAS-AM in Louisville, McConnell said that the Senate succession bill was a good idea because it would let voters decide on the successor if a vacancy ever occurred. Without offering insights into whether he plans to seek re-election, McConnell addressed that he would be serving out his term in the Senate, saying, "I don’t know how many times I can say that. But that’s exactly what I’m going to do."

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